Flight Schools and Flight Training Directory

Job Outlook: Pilots

Regional airlines and low-cost carriers will present the best opportunities; Flight school graduates attempting to get jobs at the major airlines will face strong competition. Employment of aircraft pilots is projected to grow 13 percent from 2006 to 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Job prospects. Job opportunities are expected to continue to be better with the regional airlines and low-cost carriers, which are growing faster than the major airlines. Opportunities with air cargo carriers also should rise. Business, corporate, and on-demand air taxi travel also should provide some new jobs for pilots.

Pilots attempting to get jobs at the major airlines will face strong competition, as those firms tend to attract many more applicants than the number of job openings.

Earnings of aircraft pilots vary greatly depending whether they work as airline or commercial pilots. Earnings of airline pilots are among the highest in the Nation, and depend on factors such as the type, size, and maximum speed of the plane and the number of hours and miles flown. In May 2006, median annual earnings of airline pilots, and copilots, were $141,090.

Median annual earnings of commercial pilots were $57,480 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $40,780 and $83,760. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,450, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $115,220.

For more info - Aircraft Pilots

Job Outlook: Aircraft and Avionics Mechanics

Job growth for aircraft mechanics and aviation maintenance technicians (AMT) is expected to be about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job opportunities should be favorable for people who have completed an aircraft mechanic training program, but keen competition is likely for jobs at major airlines.

Employment change. Employment is expected to increase by 10 percent during the 2006-16 period, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Most job openings for aircraft mechanics through the year 2016 will stem from the need to replace the many AMTs expected to retire over the next decade.

Also contributing to favorable future job opportunities for aircraft mechanics is the long-term trend toward fewer students entering technical schools to learn skilled maintenance and repair trades. If this trend continues, the supply of trained aviation mechanics may not keep up with the needs of the air transportation industry.

Median hourly earnings of aircraft mechanics and service technicians were about $22.95 in May 2006.

Aircraft mechanics who work on jets for the major airlines generally earn more than those working on other aircraft. AMTs who graduate from an aircraft mechanic school often earn higher starting salaries than individuals who receive training in the Armed Forces or on the job. Airline mechanics and their immediate families receive reduced-fare transportation on their own and most other airlines.

For more info - Aircraft and Avionics Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians

Job Outlook: Air Traffic Controller

Employment of air traffic controllers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2006 to 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Increasing air traffic will require more air traffic controllers to handle the additional work.

Job prospects. Most job opportunities are expected as the result of replacement needs from workers leaving the occupation. The majority of today’s air traffic controllers will be eligible to retire over the next decade, although not all are expected to do so.

Air traffic controllers who continue to meet the proficiency and medical requirements enjoy more job security than do most workers. Air traffic controllers earn relatively high pay and have good benefits. Median annual earnings of air traffic controllers in May 2006 were $117,240.

For more info - Air Traffic Controller Schools

Industry outlooks: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2008-09 Edition, Air Transportation, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov

Demand for Pilots Remains High for 20 years

"The world's airlines will need more than 17,000 flight schools graduates each year for the next 20 years to fill the seats of the airplanes on order...the experience minimums some of the airlines are now requiring for pilots have tumbled...the average now is 250 total hours and 25 multiengine, and a few require only the commercial rating." source: Flying Magazine, December 2007 issue - Flying Magazine Training Section

Pilot shortage Creating Opportunities

Through a combination of expansion and retirement, pilot seats are opening at major airlines at a record clip. US Airways recently announced plans to bring on 500 pilots. JetBlue wants 400 by next year. Southwest plans 700 hires, according to industry forecasts. This causes a domino effect as they pluck from the ranks of the regionals, where young pilots typically go to earn their wings before jumping to a better-paying major.

So regional airlines are scrambling to hire, lowering their experience requirements and offering jobs to some pilots straight out of flight school, instead of making them work as flight instructors first.

A well-trained flight school graduate can get a job right away these days, industry experts say, and regionals are recruiting heavily at colleges.

With experience requirements as low as they are, a first officer these days could make captain in a year or two. A captain could jump to a major airline a couple of years after that, where they can eventually make six figure salaries.

By Tim Logan
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/17/2007

FAA Reveals 10-Year Controller Hiring Plan

The FAA on Wednesday released its updated plan to hire air traffic controllers over the next 10 years. According to the FAA, it will hire and train more than 15,000 controllers over the next decade, starting with nearly 1,400 new controllers this year. Instead of listing a fixed optimum staffing number for each of the FAA's 314 facilities, as in the past, the new plan provides a range of numbers to give the agency greater flexibility. "Air traffic levels are very dynamic," said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey. "It is critical that we staff facilities based on actual and forecasted traffic demands. We are confident that the new controller hires will be able to meet the needs of the future." For more info visit FAA's Updated Hiring Plan Matches Controller Staffing to Air Traffic

Demand for pilots sky-high

There might be no time like the present to become a pilot for hire. Airlines hired about 8,500 aviators last year, and the pace should continue at that level or higher for the next 10 years, according to AIR Inc., which tracks pilot hiring. Aerospace giant Boeing Co. estimates the global appetite for new pilots at 17,000 a year through 2024.

"All I can say is it's the best time to get into the industry," said Mike Kraus, program director for the aviation studies program at Westminster College, which graduates about 110 commercial pilots a year, ready for the job market. "When you are born sometimes controls your destiny and opportunities."

By Paul Beebe
The Salt Lake Tribune
02/03/2007